48—18 I Want My Old Phil Back
by CraftyNotepad
Summary: Phil's back Keely, just in an older body. Still want him? Keely's P.O.V. ... NOW FORTIFIED WITH MOTHERLY SUPPORT!
1. Keely's Point–Of–View

Disclaimer: PotF: Never owned it; never will.

**47/17**

Chapter One - Keely's P.O.V.: Phil Doesn't Get It

You can do anything with a time machine, or so you thought. Time machines have their limits, it seems. At least two. While these incredible temporal conveyances can traverse the time lanes, they have no power over making the gears of government move any faster, so Phil could return to her immediately. Then, there's the other limitation of even the magical time machines: no matter how far back he traveled, Phil was still the same age himself, and not a day younger. Seventeen and moving away to college in just a few months, it's senior year and Keely finally got her wish granted. Phil Diffy came back to her, but things were different, not very different, but definitely different. It had only been a few months from her perspective, but for Phil, thirty years had passed. It's not that he looked disgusting or anything, he was still Phil, but being so much older, how could he ever again be her Phil? What would she tell her mother?

Like life, the condition of his return was that the trip could only be one way. Leave the comfort of the 22nd Century for the woman he loved? For Phil, that wasn't even an issue, but when to return? He considered returning to when they were both the same age once again, but after Giggling her history, how could he? Two marriage, both to men her own age, one met in college, the other after, and her being hurt each time? Age wasn't the issue, it was the companions. It was settled; he'd leave 2151 and go back before she had a chance to be hurt, the end of what should have been THEIR senior year.

Phil waved enthusiastically to Keely across the street, calling out her name; she stealthily gave him a little Queen-of-England wave, all the while hoping no one else would see and that he would wouldn't be so eager. He brought her presents from the future, a future he couldn't return to ever again. Politely accepting them, marveling over them even, she still acted differently. The skyak, once their passport to adventure, remained tucked away in its sphere mode; these days, Keely was too busy with school work to spend time with Phil. Dances at H. G. Wells were out for the couple without the school needing outside chaperones, let alone weekday lunches under their tree. There simply was no reason for a man approaching the half-century mark to be on the high school campus -- even one she use to stay up all night talking to.

Don't take this wrong, it's not that Keely didn't love Phil any more. For the longest time she wished he would find a way back to her; waiting was so hard, especially for a teenager. Other boys had noticed the vacuum in her dating life, and that had placed extra pressures on her to conform to the role of a typical teenage girl. True, they weren't Phil, but Phil was no longer the typical teenage boy. Liking younger boys ... loving Phil would be so much harder now. It wasn't just that he was older. Things were great when he first returned, so great! But as time passed, she noticed that keeping his secret felt different this time, being with Phil felt wrong.

She still loved him.

Phil was still her Phil on the inside. He still acted the same, as if he were her age, just looking bigger, stronger, and OLDER. If his body wasn't falling apart now, she reflected as she inserted her contact lenses, he probably would be soon, right? What would she have in common with an old person anyway? Sure, she had learned plenty these past months out of the classroom, but Phil had time to sandbagged three decades worth of living wild and crazy while he waited for the slow passage of temporal law to allow them to be together once again. Surely, he had to be living in a different stage in his life, while she still wanted to have her turn at being young. She didn't want to settle down just yet, maybe someday, but not now. Phil was so attentive, she felt trapped. She wanted her freedom to be young and live in a world of unknown possibilities.

* * *

Dear Diary,

The workload that comes with my senior year continues to trample me like one of Curtis's mammoths, and a woolly, at that -- and me with only one spear, having lost my favorite studybuddy. He's back, still it's not the same when we don't share the class or do all the normal things we used to. I want to be thrilled about our being a couple again!

Phil still doesn't get it. I'm a senior, but he's almost a SENIOR! When I'm 25, he'll be 55; when I'm 30, he'll be 60, ... when Phil's 104, I'll be 74! I'll be too old to be taking care of centenarian! Of course, at three-quarters of a century, myself, I'll don't want to be taking care of anyone. I want my kids and grandchildren to take care of me! Can you imagine Phil or any man being a father at 55, at 60? It's hard enough to think of him in his late 40s.

Phil's coming by tonight to talk.

He doesn't get it. I love him, but while I have my whole life ahead of me, he's in a different stage in life. I want to take chances, move to a new city, try different jobs, stay out late at parties, and a dozen, no, a hundred different things. Hop in my car and just drive and drive with no destination in mind, getting a room when I get tired, and exploring whatever new city I've ended up in. It's not like Phil's going to just leave everything behind just to be with me, not a chance.

When I close my eyes, Diary, he's my Phil, but he's trying too hard. It's like we've been apart for so long that I'm all he's thought about while we've been apart. How sad is that? He had the world of the future to enjoy and, instead, he dreamed about the two of us and our life together. Why didn't he just be young and live in the moment? Well, last night I told him to back off telling me how much he loves me, how I'm his world; I can't breathe anymore with all this attention. He used to just be there with me, loving, but so was I. We balanced each other out. Things are just out of balance right now and I don't know what went wrong or how to make things right anymore. I don't even know if I want to.

I want my old Phil back. This I know. I want to stop feeling this way and go back to being excited to be with Phil. I want back the Phil who worked the camera, helped me with term papers, the one I got out of jams as many times as he did likewise. The Phil Diffy who would go shopping with me on sale-mania mornings, happy to walk me to school and back again, and who took the time to prepare a post-birthday picnic for me in the park with my favorite things because he knew me on the inside. I want that Phil Diffy back, the one who'd hold my purse while I ran into the changing room, who'd serve me cold apple juice and my favorite snack ready from his locker with a smile. Where'd that Phil go? The one who'd send out signals to guys ogling me like he'd bury them; he didn't think I saw him do it, but an aspiring investigative reporter doesn't miss much.

Phil doesn't get it. I want to go back to feeling what I was feeling before. I want, I wanted, to marry Phil. Not today, but someday. I even told him so. My Phil would have waited, but this Phil, well, he says he will wait, too, and that after waiting 30 years, what's another ten or twenty? But he'll be even older then, 57, and I'll be 27; 67 and 37.

It's harder now. Before, I alone was in on Phil's secret that he was special and that made me feel special. To the casual observer, together, we were just a couple of average teenagers, but now, everything's inside-out. Everyone is going to notice us, stare, point and whisper, while only I know his secret that he is the same on the inside. Like I said, so much harder being under a microscope, I wish he --

There's his same knock! Phil's at the door, Diary. I'll spill later. Wish me luck.

17/47

* * *

Author's Note: I love seeing hits from Phil of the Future readers around the globe and it would be so nice to read PotF stories from your P.O.V. (Point Of View). Maybe you are in the same situation as some of the reviewers here by not having a word processor on your computer to create your own files to upload. There's a way around this!

1. Download any .txt text file from the internet and save it to your computer. It won't matter what it's about.

2. Using Fan Fiction's "DOCUMENT MANAGER under "PUBLISH," create a story document by selecting the textfile on your computer.

3. Now, select "EDIT/PREVIEW" in the "Document Manager" and you can delete the original text and replace it with your very own Phil of the Future masterpiece! In the Edit/Preview Document feature you'll have access to an online word processor to create and adjust the layout of your story: **BOLD**, _italicized_, underlined words; alignments to the left and

center

* * *

horizontal rulers

* * *

spell check, and even undo and redo.

My favorite feature is SAVE at the bottom of the page.

Three simple steps to absolute power over your own stories!

Looking forward to reading your versions of the adventures of Phil of the Future real soon.

Best

CraftyNotepad

P.S. my twentieth story!


	2. Keely's Point–O'–View

Disclaimer: There are ten reasons to travel back in time:

10. World Domination

09. Souvenirs

08. Educational

07. Finding where you left your keys.

06. Wallaberries

05. To own PotF, which I don't

04. Ask Napoléon Bonaparte why he tucked his hand under his shirt all the time

03. Belly button lint

02. Lobsters

and the number one reason to backstep no matter what the cost ...

L O V E

**17/47**

Chapter Two - Keely's Point-Of-View

Like no other bouquet she has ever seen, the wizrded the batch of flowers from the future were gorgeous, and he hadn't stopped there. While she found a vase for the menagrie of slightly musical, fuzzy, fragrant and transparent foliage, she kept glancing at her slightly magical boyfriend. Now, he looked 17 again, appearance courtesy of his instamorph. He looked and acted like the Phil she knew so well. He sounded like her Phil, her perfect boyfriend. Nevertheless, Keely lets him know that it makes her uncomfortable knowing that he's really older, so change back.

"I will, but let me first point out I'm still me underneath the surface of whatever appearance you prefer. I'm still Phil. The same Phil who with you made plans and shared dreams. I'm still me, you're still you, we're still us, and I'm back, Keels. I don't see the problem."

Keely talks in circles, which doesn't help Phil comprehend any better, providing him with statements, but not her real reason -- just a mish-mosh of soap opera clichés as she gives him lines about they're now at two different stages in their lives, and that what he wants out of life isn't what she's interested in; not now, someday, but not now. Phil thinks back to his grandmother's dying words, "Barbara, I wish you had listened to me and married some nice astrosurgeon instead." In his bed late at night, Phil pictured his own last moments a dozen times, looking back on his life, and considering what he would regret. It wasn't money, scaling mountains, or doing well at work; it was the girl of his dreams, his perfect woman, perfect love, and how his life would be a waste of breath and years without her. Years would go by, decades, but they'd all be gray, lifeless and hollow if he didn't do everything he could to make make their dreams come true. He'd trade his very soul to go back and try again to make everything turn out right. He could stop dreaming; he was back, now.

"The last thing you asked of me was to wait for you in the future. I promised you I would and I've kept that promise, just waiting. No dating; just waiting, thirty years to find my way back to you. Best friends keep their promises, Keel."

Had he really done that? "A half-century-year-old virgin?"

"47 still, but yeah."

Keely knew first hand about the urges, temptations and opportunities her own body tortured her with day and night, 24/7, but to go so long without -- well, she was flabbergasted. "How?"

Phil blushed. "For being from the future, I guess that must seem pretty old fashioned, but, see, I already had a girl. I belonged to you, and no one else."

"But 'how?'"

"I won't lie to you, the first 42 years aren't easy," grins Phil, that same grin she remembers. He always looks at life as as a glass full, not empty at all, and, unlike most every person his "age," he hasn't lost that talent. She has to admit, she admires him for his positive outlook.

Yet Keely feels uncomfortable, like everyone would be looking at them if they go out in public -- does this feel right any longer, and what about her freedom? She felt like his love was boxing her into a future she wasn't sure she wanted anymore, at least not yet.

Phil really does understand, of course, he's had years to consider what to do about this. "Let's go out for lunch. A lunch date, Keely, when you get to college in the fall. Please, let's just see what happens. One lunch."

"I don't think so, Phil. I'd feel uncomfortable. People would stare, and they wouldn't understand."

"Life isn't perfect, Keely, for anyone, but if our happiness depends on what other people think, Keely, then I guess you really do have a problem."

He wasn't asking for much.

Phil never did.

"One conditon: No wowie-kazowie future gadgets. That includes instamorphing yourself or using the NewAger, or it won't prove anything."

"Done."

"Okay, one lunch in October, maybe November -- oh, I just know it I'm going to regret this."

47/17


	3. Keels' Point Of View

Disclaimer: (sung to the tune of "On Top of Old Smokey")

On top of Mount Kittymug,

All covered with snow,

I could see all Pickford,

but did I own it? No.

Not a field of tomatoes,

not one little bush.

Not Phil of the Future,

on that you can bet your tush.

**48/18: I Want My Old Phil Back**

Chapter Three - Keely's Point-Of-View

Multicolored leaves litter the cement floor, their former companions have yet to join them. It's still warm enough for outdoor eating in November and just outside the restaurant's entrance waits Phil. He's happy, a little tense, to be sure, but happy thinking, "Keely's coming and then we'll find out together if there's anything to her fear about the two of us in public making her feel weird."

Pulling into the parking lot, she squeezes the wheel extra hard before sighing, then taking along her purse and securing her vehicle by remote. Poor Phil, he hasn't a clue. He doesn't get it. He really believes in the two of them, and thinks today is some sort of experiment. Keely's thought long and hard about the two of them the last few months, all the while knowing that this date would eventually arrive. As she convinced herself of how she would feel if people looked her way at them someday, she's convinced herself of the outcome already, and it's a decision that nothing will change. Still, they can remain friends.

She's eighteen now, and while she's on her own away at college, and an adult feeling more independence than ever before, these conditions are still, but newborn. No one to tell her when to get up, or go to bed, what to eat, or worrying about her coming home late; every teen's desire. Looks like Phil's been waiting for a while outside the restaurant; she glances at her cell; was she late?

Phil lit up a smile as soon as she arrived, and fought the urge to wave. Would he do or say the wrong thing this afternoon and ruin everything? No wind worth mentioning; they could eat alfresco. Keely's face, he was trying to read her expression. Forced smile, nervous. _Keely, everything is going to be alright, you'll see!_

A little less than half-filled with patrons, they had no trouble finding themselves a table and Phil picked out one right in the middle of the outdoor patio. No hiding off in a corner, not for this lunch. While still too self-conscious to make eye contact with her fellow diners, Keely made certain to brush up against a woman already seated eating. She was solid. As he pulled out her chair, Keely was checking to see if the gray was still in Phil's hair. Space Scouts honor, he had abided by her rule no future gadgets.

Nothing over the top, the table was simple and inviting with their silverware sequestered inside plum napkins. "Small talk" time while they waited for the arrival of their menus. Phil wanted to thank her for coming, but that sounded too weak, so instead he asked her, "Did you have any trouble finding this place?"

_I'm not late_, came out as, "No, I've been curious to try the food here."

_Good_, he thought. Things are already going well. "How's Mom doing?" Keely and Phil had called one another "Wife" and "Husband" for so long, that Phil had long ago recognized Mandy Teslow as his mother, even if he hadn't spoken to her since his return. Mrs. T was family.

"She's fine." Not offering much there in reply.

"Heard from her lately?"

"Not since the first couple of weeks I got here. I've been pretty busy with classes."

Unfamiliar arms extended in front of each of them, presenting each of diner with a menu. Without looking up, each of them took what was offered and issued "thank you"s. Keely was still afraid to make eye contact, still feeling nervous; Phil couldn't take his eyes off of her. As soon as the waitress left, he knew that was a mistake.

They both remained quiet as they glanced at all the restaurant had to offer. More small talk about "this looks good," "who would ever want to eat that?" and "there's so much to choose from." It's not always easier to decide what you really want when there's more to choose from; you can be distracted and miss out on what is right in front of you, even if you're looking at your very favorite. Phil signaled their waitress and their order taken, he remembering her favorites. More small talk time.

Phil asked her about her classes, but she wondered if he cared; he seemed to be glancing around the restaurant as if he was bored. "How's 18 shaping up? Everything you thought it would be like?" He started out really looking at her, but now and then he would glance, even stare off to the side, like there was something going on that was much more interesting. She tried to read his face for clues.

Keely starts to ask Phil about his family. Phil has no new news about the rest of the Diffys that he hasn't already shared with her. Stories galore, memories, but he'll never have new info to share with her again about his family, so Keely drops the question and nervously looks about the patio. The restaurant is getting busier. She's feeling more closed in, trapped even. Just she's ready to suggest they go somewhere else, their drinks arrive with the promise of their order being ready in just a moment. She takes a sip and relaxes just a bit as the cold liquid greets her lips, tongue and travels down her throat. There's probably a good reason why people dating meet to eat. Food gives them something to do with their hands and mouths that won't be stupid. Keely looks at Phil. He looks so at ease, like they're not doing anything wrong. Why doesn't he get it?

The restaurant gets busier, noisier, as more and more of the lunch crowd finds their way inside. Keely would like to claim that this is making her fear worse, but really nothing has changed for her. In fact, she's with Phil and that's comforting in itself. She realizes that Phil's been talking all this time, about his life, but now she's been the one looking around.

Food arrives, and they both relax even more. The food is good. The bread is fresh. Conversation, corny jokes, her half-embarrassed exclamations of, "PHIL!" She loves doing that and he loves hearing it. They're enjoying their meal out together so much that they are both oblivious to the couples that have encircled them, busy eating and having conversations of their own.

But that's not what this date is supposed to be about. Phil's remains to have eyes for noone other than Keely, while Keely looks around, actually searching for eye contact that will make her feel uncomfortable. Occasionally in her fishing around, she makes brief eye contact, but the only signals she reels in are polite smiles. A college city, sure enough, but people of all ages go to college, from those still in their teens, like her, to others retraining themselves to become marketable again in this sagging economy. The restaurant's patronage reflects this, with adults of all ages enjoying life and a good meal, sometimes people of different ages even enjoy each other's companionship. Noone's face was sour, no one pointed or even stared; and those eyes she just knew would be on them, disapproval in their gawking -- they didn't exist.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll bring it when they get the chance." Phil arranged to have the check paid before hand; no interruptions, please, this is too critical a lunch. Filled up with a good meal and topped off with dessert, their plates waiting to be cleared, the two of them just talk, very relaxed, but the small talk is over with. They've been covering serious subjects for a while now:

"It's just that I still want to go crazy and do wild things ..."

"I thought we still were. Being with you, loving you, you and I are the craziest, wildest, scariest, and wonderfulliest thing I've ever done. Before or since, I haven't had a wild and crazy side in my life. I want more insanity with you. It's been the best part of my life having a best friend from another century, even though we could be separated at any moment ... falling in love with said best friend -- I've never been happier. For me, everything we do together is wild and crazy, breaking all the rules. You give me so much without even trying. Keely, you and me may be completely nuts, but remember what your mom says, 'Every great oak exists because some little nut held it's ground.' Gorgeous, I'm nuts about you, and I know you're all cashews about me, US, too. I know you're frightened about listening to your heart instead of your head, that we aren't the image of the picture-perfect couple you once had in your mind. Just close your eyes, Darling, and you'll see in your heart and mind that we're still here, the two people who love one another ..."

Throwing her head back, Keely closes her eyes. "Gorgeous," he called her. Any other man would be talking about her face, her hair. She knew that Phil Diffy was referring to how he saw her on the inside, more than anyone else in the world, he knew her, the real Keely, the one nobody else noticed.

"I'm going to have to think about this, Phil," she says with a nervous smile.

He didn't hear what his fiancee said after that. He was too occupied duct taping his heart together. In one afternoon Keely had accomplished what three decades apart and 48 years hadn't been able to do. In the span of lunch, the woman he loved had made him feel old.

18/48


	4. Keel's POV How Mandy Got So Strong

Disclaimer:

I am not a resident of the 22nd Century.

I have not to the best of my knowledge ever used pudding in a defensive manner.

I have no preference for new smog over old smog.

I do not excessively hoard aluminum foil.

I have never consumed Rat Snacks.

I do not own Phil of the Future.

And -- hey! Give that back!

That's my Wizrd!

**48/18**

Chapter Four - Keely's Point-Of-View: How Mandy Got So Strong

a week later --

_Keely recalls her phone call to her mother, fishing for her advice to call it off._

_Before she opens her cell, Keely recites her mantra: _"Don't call him 'Phil'. Don't call him 'Phil'. Don't call him 'Phil'."

_I'll just tell Mom the truth and she'll agree that I have to break it off with Ph-- my fiancee, maybe even give me a good idea how._

"Mandy Teslow, Realtor-At-Large, you can depend on fast results when you put Mandy in charge. If you're ready to move, I'm your new best friend, selling your current dwelling high and get you the keys to your new dream house at a Teslow, low, low closing fee. If you're not a louse, I'll take care of your hou--"

"Mommy, it's me."

"CINNAMON BUNS!"

_Her daughter still winces at that nickname. It'll be worth it though. Some talks a girl just has to have with her mother._ "Hi Mom. How are you?"

"OH, how are you, Button? I'm so glad you called ..."

_Keely explains. She's met a man, the two of them have so much in common, and he's a good man, a very good man. Yes, she's in love, but she doesn't think she can go through with it._

"Honey, are you looking for a reason not to make a commitment?

_(To back out, actually.)_ "I --I already told him 'Yes.'"

"CHERRY NOODLE! That's Wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"

"I don't t-think I should have though, Mom. We're in different places in our lives. He wouldn't enjoy doing what I want to do. Just our being a serious couple can be "complicated."

_Immediately going into Mama Bear mode, Mandy Teslow's tone has gone from exuberant glee, to shock, hurt and anger in defensive of her daughter heart, "Is that what he told you?"_

"No. I told him that. He says that he wants to share our lives together, doing whatever makes me happy."

_Still ready to break "him" she's never met off at the knees, there's a firmness in her motherly voice as she becomes a rock for Keely to lean on_, "And you know he's lying."

_She had to admit it. _ "No." _If there was one thing she knew about her friend it was when he was being sincere. Phil meant every promise he made and this definitely qualified as the promise of all promises. _ "He really believes it."

"But he's the kind of guy who would never follow through on such a promise, making it come true." _ She supportively issues this as a statement, not a question. _

"No, he would, but that's just it -- he just doesn't get it. I don't want to change him. We're at different stages in life now. Mommy, he's old.

"He's 'old,' how 'old?' There's only one reason old guys are interest in young girls, Keely. Only one."

_Mom doesn't get it -- she just heard the word "old" and went into automatic mama bear mode. This is Phil. He could have whipped up a replicant of me at any time if that was what he was after. For that matter, he could have had any girl he wanted back in high school or thirty years since, but no. That wasn't why Phil waited three decades just for the billion-to-one shot of our finding happiness together. He did it for me, for himself, and for us, so we wouldn't end. No matter the century, Phil Diffy loves me, the me only he truly knows. How can I make Mom understand without telling her everything?_

"He's not like that, Mom. He loves me for whom I am on the inside. He's waited the longest time, then spanned great distances just to see me. He didn't do these things for sex, Mommy; he did them for love. We have a connection that is special."

"PLEEZE, tell me I didn't give birth to such a stupid child! I know you're blonde, but honestly, Keely! That's just a line, the oldest one on record. You're my daughter and I love you, but here's absolutely nothing you have that would interest an old guy other than a teenage body. Don't you dare defend him!"

"We have shared interests, similar tastes in music, politics, romantic movies, foods we both like and just can't stand. We both play tennis, we ..."

"Okay, enough. I get it -- BUT I still say it's your body he wants."

"He wants a part of my body, yes, more than the rest."

"Your 'heart,' I suppose. That's so old, it's --"

_Keely cut her off sharply with, _"My _smile_ -- smiles actually." _Of this, she's certain._ "He loves to see me smile. It's a reflex: when I smile, he lights up with one of his own. He tells me he loves how I look, everything about me. He loves me. I could be any shape, any size, even with antlers growing out of my head, and he'd tell me that I'm the most beautiful woman in the world. It's not like he's not really looking at me; he sees everything and defines beauty by however I appear at the moment. It's scary because he honestly believes it. I -- I think he loves me for just being me. Do you know how hard this is to deal put up with day after day?"

_Not one of the revealing portions of her child's body that she was bracing herself to hear. _

"So, you have a ton in common, he enjoys you being happy, and in his eyes you possess beauty which is eternal, but you also said that you don't think you can marry him. Why not?"

"Well, what would Grandma have said back in your day if you wanted to marry Daddy and he was, say, ten years older? Fifteen? Twenty, even?" _ Keely is ready for her answer; isn't this her mother; the same mother she knew would have been alarmed if she had, say, wanted to go out with a college freshman while she was still in high school?_

_The line went dead, or seemed to from all the silence. Keely was picturing her mother's face souring over the idea, her face reddening, then Miss Teslow heard a sound at the other end, no longer sounding happy, not one bit._ **"BACK IN MY DAY?!! AHH! I'll have you know, Daughter, that I'm not DEAD yet. THIS IS MY DAY!"**

_Shocked by how her mother took it, Keely had never thought of her mother that way; instead, she had divided up her mother's life, comfortably labeling each one as the past; never considering that life isn't about "stages." Had she learned incorrectly from sitcoms and romance novels? Numb to her mother words by this sudden outburst, Keely misses out on part of what Mandy Teslow is trying to impart onto her: _

"... it is about constantly living each day, hopefully squeezing out every drop happiness they have to offer!"

"Mom, you don't understand --"

"Keely, you don't understand. What would my mother have said? Ooh, that woman! I know exactly what she would have said, because she said it all!" _Being a parent means more than just taking your child's side in a conflict; it also means telling them things that they'd rather not know. Taking a desperately needed breath, Keely's mother's voice returned softer in volume, but no less in resolve, as if it had been so tempered by life that no amount of time could ever soften it's mettle on the subject. It was time Keely knew. _

"My mother didn't want me to marry your father. Oh, she played the part of the good mother-in-law in front of you or I wouldn't have let her see you at all, but she never accepted my choice. It didn't matter that we were happy together; he wasn't good enough in her eyes for her little girl."

_Dumbstruck. Never had her mother talked like this, let alone reveal this family secret. Grandma didn't like Daddy? She would never have guessed, not with memories of Sunday dinners with everyone getting along, talking up a storm, birthday and Christmas presents exchanged, complete with hugs and kisses._

"Mom, it's not even the same thing. PH-- (stupid mantra!), my guy is old."

"Sounds like it's exactly the same. My guy was blacklisted."

"By one person! Completely different."

"By my mother, Keely. Practically my whole world up until I met your father. The woman still lives in my head."

"Oh, Mother!" _exclaimed an enlightened Keely in both dismay and sympathy. Then, just a thought mind you, maybe her mother did know something after all, or at least had a story she desperately need to tell her. Roles reversed, it was now Keely's turn to be the supportive listener._ "So, why'd you marry Daddy anyway?"

_Keely could hear her mother smile, a smile fueled by a million billion loving and good memories. _"He made me happy. He was the best husband, and later Daddy, that ever was. There hasn't a morning that I didn't wake up feeling happy and loved because of this man and who he was. "

"But he died, Mom. I don't want to left alone like you." _Th__ere it was, a truth in her voice. Marriage is supposed to be forever, or at least for life. No one is supposed to die and end it. It's just not fair._

"He did. His body died. No marriage last forever, Pumpkin Buns. It's sad, but true. People promise to love one another forever, but their vows trim forever down to 'until death does us part.' This is so true that you must pick the best man that you can, cuz, Honey, men die and you never know how or when; but Butternut, love, true love, doesn't. When I need strength, he's still the one I lean on, when times are tough, when I need a friend, and in the late at night I have someone to talk to. I see him everytime our beanpole of a daughter comes inside our house. You got your height and your hair from your father. Now, your 'old man,' does he make you happy?"

"But Mom, he's smothering me with attention."

_Sympathetic concern now colors her voice,_ "That doesn't sound good. But he doesn't sound like a jerk, just inexperienced, Sweetie. What's happening?

"He waits around from when my classes end, usually around three, give or take, until I call him."

"When's that?"

"Ten or eleven at night."

"He should get out more."

"That's what I tried to tell him!"

"Graham Cracker, no matter how great he is, or you think he is, he's still a man."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when we kept Uncle Bob's cocker spaniel that summer he went to the Alps for yodeling lessons? Reggie was no cat. While Miss Whiskers was subtle in her reactions, Reggie was like a cartoon character, exaggerated to the max. You can't always speak as a woman to a man, or when you tell him that you're a little cold, he'll turn up the thermostat instead of rushing over to give you the hug you're telling him you need. Men can do subtle, but it's a second language for them to acquire -- they have to be taught, trained even, how to read signals. Did you, or could you, tell him how you feel?"

"I **so** told him."

"Point blank?"

_"Point blank and right between his eyes."_

_Ouch._ "Oh. Hmmm ... Before or after you had laid him out clue after clue?"

"After, maybe much after. I hadn't wanted to hurt his feelings, but I was so frustrated and feeling trapped by all his affection and attention."

"I see. Then what did he do when you finally told him in plain and simple terms that you needed space, to back off?"

"He said, 'Done.' He did ask me to give him a ring in a week or so, or not. He hasn't tried to call or see me since."

48/18


	5. Keely's POV My Boy's A Little Bit CLOY

Disclaimer: (Sung to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

Pim, Pim, Pim you're grand!

We worship you near and far,

How can we make you happier?

What?!! You say "A Car?"

-

Barb, Barb, Barb, so true,

What's a mother to do?

One of your children is a dream,

But you raised a monster, too!

-

Neil, Neil, Neil, my friend,

Why do you seem so lost?

Is it because I don't own PotF?

I would, but it's such a cost!

**48/18: I Want My Old Phil Back**

My Boy's a Little Bit CLOY

"Sounds to me as if he's as good as his word. He's never intended to smother you. Honey. Oh, Keely, he's just a little cloy."

"He's not a little boy, mother."

"Coy? He's hardly being coy. "

"CLOY! CLOY! C-L-O-Y. I said 'Cloy,' not 'coy.' I miss my old phone."

"Cloy? Mom? What the cinnamon stick is 'cloy?'"

"Everyone knows what cloy is, Keely. Just think about it for a second."

"Mother, I promise you, I've never said or hear the word before in my life. What is it? Did you pick it up playing Scrabble?"

"Keely, stop playing around pretending you don't know. Don't make me upset!"

"Mom, I don't know anything about CLOY!"

"It's a common word! For Pity's Sake, everyone knows it! Oh. ... I'm sorry, Pumpkin Buns. I forget sometimes that girls don't do as much cooking as they did in "my day." Cloy's a cooking term from your great-grandmother's day."

"What's it mean?"

"You have to remember there were hardly any recipes back then, so you learned to cook with a pinch of this, and a pinch of that. You know how you like sweet things? Well, new cooks could easily get carried away by adding too much of their favorite ingredients, such as something sweet, like molasses or sugar. Even though you love eating sweets, adding pinches of sugar soon become a spoonful, then two, then a cup, then three ... it's so good and you're on a roll -- how could more not make it even better?"

"That's cloy?"

"That's cloy; when you get tired of having too much of what once tasted good and it spoils what you were once having such fun cooking."

"Well, he definitely cloyed us. Stupid Cloyer. This is what I tried to tell him; he was being so sweet that he spoiled my feelings for him, for us."

"But it sounds like he's trying to fix things. You know, your great-grandma wouldn't throw out the kettle of food. Good food, like a good man, is too valuable to just throw away, so you fix it, creating balance, instead of starting new with another batch. Adding a little salt balances out the sweetness, play around with seasonings, or the simple act of adding liquid to the pot waters down the contents so it will not only be something you can enjoy going down, but be better off having more than you intended to enjoy. When there are cooking mistakes, you attempt to rescue dinner, before you even consider tossing it out."

"I understand that, Mom, but how does that work with my feeling toward him. Pouring salt and water on him won't change a thing about how I feel."

"Do you think every couple is like the two of you, not arguing? Even your father, as perfect as he was, he argued with me. You were probably just too little to remember us doing it, so you don't remember our remedy, either."

_Her mother paused, waiting for the junior Teslow to ask, and then remarked, _"So, how are your classes this week?" Then she smiled.

"What remedy? Mom! I hate feeling this way! I want to go back to the way it was! What's your secret??"

_Enjoying this, Mandy theatrically whispered, _"It's an old family secret, passed down from generation to generation. Now, must be the time for me to hand it down to you. This is powerful stuff, you only need a little bit of it to make it work it's magic. Are you ready?"

_Keely was ready, she had called her mommy for help, after all, even if this wasn't the sort she had been expecting._

"Forgiveness, second-chances, third-chances; it's an ancient recipe, tried and true to work."

"That's all? That's not a secret. Everyone know that, Mom."

"Including you."

"Mom, it's not the same."

"He probably didn't recognize that cloy was occurring anymore than you knew it had a name, until now. You understand it clearly now, not like before. He's learned it, too, though probably not as clear. It's up to you to fix it, Honey, if he really is trying to make things better, too. You won't have to do much, either; doesn't even sound like anything is broken, just a little adjustment here and there and everything will go back to the way it was. He sounds like someone who was making you happy, Sugar. Really Happy. He just didn't know that more and more love and attention was going to make you tired of sugar, Sugar. He was listening to you telling him what you enjoyed and let himself get carried away with doing what you once told him brought you happiness. Your father did the same thing one day when I told him I loved the roses he brought. So he went out and bought a rosebush for the front yard, planting it that very day. It was very pretty and I told him so, so every weekend he plant a rosebush around the front yard, sometimes more than one, and when the yard was filled, he started in on the back. Men can get an idea in their heads and then take it to the extreme and beyond. At first, I did enjoy those flowers, but soon I was numb to their fragrance, and feeling trapped as they surrounded me. The more he planted, the more upset it made me at him, until a part of me stopped loving him. I hated that feeling. You see, I do understand, and I think he's smart enough to, also. I didn't divorce your father over his attention switch being stuck on maximum, but neither are our yards rose gardens. Your father wasn't mad, just sorry that he lost perspective, and glad that I told him."

"You really should find out at least what will happen if you give him just one more chance. It would be so easy to discover if he really is too much, or if he was just being swept away with equating 'more' with 'better' and over sweetening your relationship. I'll bet you anything that he'll never let it happen again."

_Was her mother just making all this up? Keely did a quick search online and found:_

**cloy (kloi)**

**v. cloyed, cloy·ing, cloys**

** .**

** To cause distaste or disgust by supplying with too much of something originally pleasant, especially something rich or sweet; surfeit.**

**.**

** To be too filling, rich, or sweet.**

_Maybe she was getting great advice after all._

_Since Phil came back he hadn't taken on a job, except making her happier. They say that a man has to work or he goes a little crazy, loses his balances and becomes impossible to live with. Lots of marriages fail and even break up when the husband loses his job. I always thought it was about money issues, but maybe these marriage problems are all about the out of work husband refocusing his attention on his wife, overcompensating, thus driving her nuts. He was just trying to make her happy, as he always has._

_As Keely __fidgeted__ with her car key in her other hand, her mother called Phil something which repelled Keely more than any of her own ideas on why she couldn't marry him. Mandy called him, her Phil, a D-O-G._

18/48


	6. Keely's POV

Disclaimer: (Sung to the tune of Frère Jacques)

Are you cancelled?  
Are you cancelled?  
Do you know?  
Do you know?  
Disney says "Hiatus,"  
Disney says "Hiatus,"  
They don't care!  
They don't care!

Can I own you?  
Can I own you?  
Wish I did.  
Wish I did.  
But I need more money.  
Oh, so much more money.  
So I don't.  
Not a bit.

**I Want My Old Phil Back**

Chapter Six - Keely's P.O.V.

"The more you tell me about him, Keely, the more this guy of yours sounds like a real 'dog.'"

"No, he's really not, Mom. He's loving, and patient, and ..."

"... and respectful, obedient, dependable, loyal, protective ... face it, Keely, the man's a dog. Now, some women like cats, others prefer dogs. Most young women are attracted to the cat-type, just the opposite of dogs:

° CATS are independent. If you're sad or depressed, they'll leave, only coming back when you're in better spirits and can give them attention they want.

• A DOG is dependent. He care about the feelings of those dear to him. The nuzzling he gives you isn't about begging you for a petting for himself, but to comfort you.

.

° CATS don't care if you come home or not, just as long as dinner is ready when they're hungry; whereas,

• a DOG starts missing you as soon as you step out the door, just waiting for your return. You don't know what that's like yet, Keely, to have someone leave and know the emptiness of that fills up their absences. Mandy was wrong. Keely knew.

.

° Cat circuses aside, obedience is not in CATS' nature. As they see fit, CATS live their own lives, not bothered if you're upset by their actions or not.

• a DOG revels in performing to please you, happily wagging his tail.

.

° CATS are hunters, always on the hunt, whether they're actually hungry or not. For them, it's the thrill of the stalking, right up to finishing off their prey,

• a DOG prefers to follow along at your side, keeping you company, protecting you, going where you go, sharing whatever activity that makes you happy.

.

Loving? They both can be loving and it's you choice, My Love. A mother's place is to let you make your own decision and then back you with total love and support. You'll always be my little girl, Keely. I'll stand back and watch you make your choice, and if it's a cat, so be it, but a mother doesn't wish for her little girl to end up marrying some cat. Keely, as much as I'm a cat person, I'm so happy you've found yourself a real dog! Dependable, someone you can lean on when life gets tough. A man who will stand beside you who is caring, loyal, protective and loving."

Mothers really think like this? No wonder men think women are crazy.

"Mother, I want a normal life. We'll never be normal together ... it'd be so much easier to just find someone my own age."

"Sweetie Pie, everyone does who's being offered something different. Offer someone a normal life and they'll want adventure, fame, and a glamorous life. Kee Kee, you want normal? Look around. Ninety-nine percent of normal marriages are all about growing apart and failure. Normal? You only live once; why on Earth would you settle for normal when you've already found a man you can trust to live and breathe for your health and happiness? Sometimes, you have to put yourself first, instead of thinking about what will make you seem to fit in in the eyes of others." Keely, you're going to have to make so many compromises in life as an adult, and too many sacrifices, but never do it when it comes down to your happiness."

"Make your best grab at happiness, my Angel, and to hell with the rest of the world. They won't be living your life and, what's more, they couldn't care less, so busy living their own lives. The more people you two meet, the more you'll see I'm right. You're stressing out over your own prediction of what other people will do. Keely, there are only two opinions that matter at all -- his and yours. (sigh) Maybe this is my fault. Letting you be in front of the camera all those years, you feel eyes are going to be upon you whenever you consider whatever you're thinking about doing. Sweetie, living life to the fullest isn't about breaking records, getting good grades, or fitting in -- high school isn't real life, it's just the last step in practicing for it with a safety net of some sort."

"Success in life is simple -- it's about being happy. I thought you knew that. Maybe marriage isn't for you, at least not yet. He's pressuring you, isn't he, to marry him?"

"I can't really call it pressuring. He's proposed and I've said, 'Yes'." I've said 'YES' a lot."

"But he wants to rush to have the wedding."

"Yes -- No ... yes and no. He'd marry me today and I've been calling him "Hubby" for months, but I've told him that I'm not ready, even when I used to tell him wouldn't even be eighteen for a few more months." _She could almost hear her mother nodding_. "Even then, I told him I wanted to wait until I'm in my twenties -- he said he will wait until I'm ready."

"So, you're fighting over this? I'm confused. What are you fighting about?"

"That's just it, Mom. We don't fight about anything. We agree on so much, and when we don't, he goes along with whatever will make me happy, telling me that I'm perfect. That's just too much pressure on me."

_Mandy Teslow was able to following her daughter's thought patterns better than most, but even after listening to all this, she couldn't fathom what Keely was calling her for advice about. But this was a crisis for her daughter, so she clenched her jaw for a moment to concentrate._

"It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind --wait, you said you've said 'Yes' a lot. What's 'a lot'?'"

"At least a couple of hundred times. He keeps asking and I keep telling him 'Yes.'"

"200? FOR HOW LONG NOW??!"

"Months and months now."

"Keely! Let's see if I've got all this right:

"You've met a man. CONGRATULATIONS!"

"You love him and he loves and worships you. CONGRATULATIONS!"

"He's asked you to marry him 200 times more often than any woman gets asked. I'll bet it was to check to see if you were happy with the idea and for all those times, you have been. He's a truly a dog, the good breed. CONGRATULATIONS!"

'He places your needs and desires before his own. WOW! CONGRATULATIONS!"

"Does he have any bad habits -- smoking, drinking, gambling or drugs -- a prison record, perhaps?"

"Not a one, Mom."

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

"He's broke, isn't he?"

"No, he's got more money than he knows what to do with, plus he's generous to others, even complete strangers. He doesn't spend much money on himself. He even keeps calling his money, my money."

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

"Where does he work?"

"Well, he's moved into town back in June and hasn't been under the gun to find a job."

"Not living paycheck to paycheck? He's that well off?"

"Pretty much. You're going to congratulate me again, aren't you?

"Actually, I was thinking back to what you said about him focusing all his attention on you. With him not away at a job for most of his day, it's little wonder he's concentrating on my daughter. What? Did you think he was going to just stay home and watch "I Want To Marry A Dentist" and the Weather Network all day long, when he could be daydreaming about the two of you? He's overcompensating, that's all. Men really do need to have some sort of job to do to keep from driving their woman crazy all the time."

"Wait A Second ... MONTHS? You've been telling him 'YES' month after month, stroking his ego about being loved, desired and having a future with you and now?"

"I'm not sure I can have a future with him after all. He loves me unconditionally and I don't see how I contribute anything. I can't make him wait until I'm ready for a man like him. It wouldn't be fair to him."

"Keely, Keely, Keely. If you want to get a man NOT to think about you, I don't think there's a book for that, Sweetheart. Maybe he's not telling you all he's doing and you're reading too much into what you think is happening. I love you, Keely, but even still, your playing at news reporting, little songs, power shopping to feed your overgrown appetite for clothes and shoes? -- By the way, did you take my saffron silk blouse? -- Do you honestly think your life is mesmerizing to a man? I doubt he's interest in any of those things, Honey. You're obviously missing the point."

"Which is?"

"All those parts of your life, they're what you take joy in."

In clouded agreement, Keely replied, "Y-yeahh..."

"Well, isn't it obvious? He's not changing to please you. He just wants to take part in your happiness. He's repeatedly asked you to marry him because he believes in the promise he sees in your eyes, hears the happiness in your voice when you say "yes" each time, and trusts you to love him in return. Most women never give their husband-to-be those signals of trust to fortify him with the strength to propose more than just once. What did you say to him besides 'yes'? I've never heard of a fiancé asking two hundred times! After a suitor receives a 'yes,' he's happy he has what he wants and he stops asking. Your man must love you incredibly to keep asking you to make you happy. However, I can't believe that he has no other interests in life beyond making you happier. That's what you're telling me, you realize; that his every waking moment is all about you. If that were true, then I agree that you could feel smothered. He has absolutely no interests of his own?"

_Groaning in her admission of her mother being right, Keely started to admit that she had exaggerated._ "He's sort of into music -- the old kind, sometimes breathtakingly romantic -- I think he gets it from his father, along with an interest in fixing stuff. Reading, especially science fiction. Cooking. Gardening. Technology, he's really into next-generation tech -- but at heart, he's a real nerd, who likes to learn, or watch old romantic movies and comedies, -- I guess he does have a few interests."

"Besides you."

"Besides me." Keely had to face the truth of the facts she had ignored, and her mother gave her a moment to let the truth sink in.

"Okay, so his life isn't all about you. He had a life and interests before you two met. Are you impressed by all of those facets in his life?"

"Not all. I like watching romantic comedies with him under a blanket, but some of his interests are just things I'm not into."

"But he still does them. Sort of means that you are not the absolute center of his universe, as you think you are."

"gghhnt" slipped through clenched teeth.

"What was that?"

"I guess not."

"And he yet he really believes it when he tells you that you are perfect."

"Yes."

"I've been telling you that your entire life."

"I know, Mommy, but when he says it, when I see it in his eyes ... I almost feel as though I am."

Mandy Teslow lets this soak in, and while she does, her mind drifts back to the day the two of them were on the car sales lot choosing Keely's first car. There was another mother and daughter also shopping with a technique very different from Keely's. Keely's probable classmate ran from auto to auto, almost always the brand new ones, attracted by color and style, and wanting to know what she looked like sitting inside each one. Both daughter and mother were very enthusiastic. Keely, on the other hand, while she checked out the driver's seat, she also looked under the hood for recent repairs, damage, and wanted the car history report on the few models she had under consideration, not all of them brand new. There was one that she clearly favored, older than the rest, but from her thorough inspection Mandy was confident that she was making the wisest and best decision for her future motoring, and when Keely decided to say "yes" to that dependable classic, Mandy Teslow saw wisdom in her daughter's careful selection; nothing like the cheerleading duo across the lot going gaga over cup holders, who'd likely be returning it often for overheating and factory recalls. Keely knew exactly what she was purchasing. Mrs. T was proud of her daughter, her little girl who was once was so self-conscious about what other people thought about how she looked and who she hung around with ...

"Alright then, then there must be something else about him that you haven't told me yet, Love Muffin. Let's see if we can come up with it."

48/18


	7. Keely's POV — Someone Doesn't Get It

Author's Note: BIG THANK YOUS TO ALL REVIEWERS!

Extra Points to Sultan Peppershaker for Posting the Most Lengthy Reviews!

.

Disclaimer: (sung to "Old MacDonald Had A Farm")

Our Lloyd Diffy had a glitch  
in his time machine.

Temporal Pump Valves, he lost them all.  
Can he find each one?

With a lost valve here,  
and a lost valve there,  
here a valve,  
there a valve.  
I don't own Phil of the Future.

Papa Diffy had a glitch  
in his time machine.

.

**48/18**

Chapter Seven - Keely's P.O.V. - Someone Doesn't Get It

"He smells bad, doesn't he?"

_Keely involuntarily inhaled, remembering how Phil smelled on clean sheets, not to mention how he adored her scent, no matter the time of the month -- not merely tolerating her femine odor, but adoring._ "He smells good, real good, Mom. Not stinky at all"_ and as much as I love the way he smells, he loves my scent -- even when I'm in the midst of my period._ "He actually prefers to shower often, so, 'Congratulations'?"

"You're catching on, College Girl."

"Refuses to hold your purse at the mall? Can't show affection in public? Has a _temper_?"

"Definitely 'No' to all three. He's my Sweetie-Pie."

"He doesn't get violent, does he? Hurts my baby?"

"Never. He's very gentle. I told you, he's a nerd. When he faces a problem, he thinks his way to a solution that doesn't involve his fists. In fact, you know how ticklish I am? I can't help it. Despite how much he loves that I'm super ticklish, he doesn't try to tickle me."

"Why not? If he likes it --"

"Because I told him I don't like being out of control when I'm tickled; that's enough of a reason for him not to tickle me. How sweet is that?

"I'm having a hard time seeing why you want to break up with your fiance, Dear. Does he gamble then?"

"Just on us." _ Keely felt sorrow and guilt. _"It's just that I don't hear 'bells,' Mommy. If this is right, if he's the one, then isn't it supposed to go smoother, easier, and more naturally?"

"Absolutely, every time in the movies. This is real life, Daughter. If he had more worldly experience with women, he be smoother than silk, but then he wouldn't be the man you love. Be patient and he'll improve and you'll enjoy watching him blossom and become polished shiny like an apple. Trust me. As for natural, you said you were friends first, then he asked you out and later proposed; all the important parts sound perfectly natural to me. Now, what's the real reason, Keely? Leaves the toilet seat up, does he? That's common enough."

"Mother, please."

"--"

"Uh, no. No, he doesn't."

"Did that seem a wee bit too personal?"

"Don't say 'wee.' It's not the sort of thing that I --"

"How's he in the sack?"

"MOM!"

"Well?"

"MOTHER!"

"Keely, this is just part of being a couple."

"He's ... I'm ... We're both ... snugglers, enjoying cuddling embraces, we haven't quite ... yet. Can we change the subject?"

"You're telling me that you've come close, that he's had a young girl's naked body pressed against his and he couldn't --"

"Not couldn't. Wouldn't. I told him I wasn't ready just yet."

"And you want me to believe that he's all lofty, chaste, and honorable like Prince Charming out of a storybook? That he didn't --"

"Wanted to, but he wouldn't because he loves me. Never would he hurt me. I wish you could see him like I do, Mom. He's the caliber of man who goes through life doing the right thing, not the easy thing. He just makes right look easy."

_Mandy hesitated, then questioned her daughter once more on the subject,_ "'Wanted to?' Him or you?"

"Yes."

"But you're not --"

"Pregnant? No, not if the sex ed. class I took was even halfway accurate."

"KEELY!"

"Relax, Mom. You're not going to be a grandma anytime soon. I'm sure without a doubt."

"Are you attracted to him because you grew up without a father -- does he insist that you call him 'Daddy?'"

"Eww! No. NO. NO! Mom, he's nothing like that. He wants to be my husband, not my father!" _Protective, supportive and nurturing ... those were definitely good traits in both a husband and a parent, but there was nothing at all parental in Phil's eyes, or how he listened to her, or his touch -- absolutely nothing parental about his kisses --never mind his hands!_

"Well, what is he getting out of this relationship then, Honey, just a young trophy wife to display to his friends?"

"No, he's miles deeper than that. He loves me for who I am, Mom, not what I look like." _Any preconceptions he might have had over his love's appearance had been abandoned long, long ago, maybe even with his lesson learned over Alice Da Luca._ "He's my best friend, Mom, and I know -- not 'think' -- know -- that if he had never seen me, he would have loved me just the same, proposed just the same -- and I would have answered 'YES' just the same."

"Besides, not counting me, I don't think he has any friends, real or otherwise -- around here."_ Except for herself, his best friend, his only friend, Phil was actually a loner in this century and probably another one. Oh, they had a couple of buddies around back in high school, but Seth, Owen, and Tia just sort of gravitated about the two of them at lunch and maybe some homework. It was Keely who Phil focused on even during their high school years, sharing his secrets with only her. **What was in this for Phil?** Keely had asked herself that more than once, questioned Phil as well, never accepting his answers ... until now._

_Silence for a long time before her mother resumed her attempt to understand the root of her daughter's predicament. She was trying to get a picture of Keely's man._

"He sounds like quite the catch, Sweetums. He's clearly not turned off by your nose, hips, and clamy hands."

Back in her college dorm room, Keely's hand shot up in front of her nose, "Shut up! He loves my nose. He thinks it's adorable, and I'll have you know that I turned him into a 'bottom-man.' But Mom, I didn't try to catch him."

"Well, maybe that's what's actually annoying you -- the hunting is over. He's yours for the taking -- he even thought you took him with all your 'Yeses' -- and he has chosen to live to make you happy, offering all he has without reservation. He does sound too good to be true."

Keely said nothing, but thought on her mother's observation. Was this what she was reacting to, the difference when one became a "sure-thing?"

Mandy started to fill in the silence, "Bad dresser? Well, you could take care of that. What about a roving eye?"

_Sh__e knew her "hubby." No longer a teenager himself, a parade of naked supermodels could walk past them for hours and his eyes would never leave hers._ "You pegged him earlier, Mom. He's totally faithful." _(Decades worth of faithfulness, Mom! You'd never believe how devoted he really is.)_ "So much so that it actually frightens me, pressures me to be exclusive to only him."

"That's probably what his ex-wives believed, too, Keely. Don't elevate him to be something he's not. How much does he pay in child support?"

"He doesn't have any kids, Mom. No previous marriages or girlfriends, either."

"But you said he was old, practically my age? He must have --"

"He didn't. He, he ... he says that he's been waiting to belong to the perfect woman. He says that I'm the one he's waited for."

"My, he is patient. Not many men are faithful BEFORE they are married, especially one who's as old as your mother."

"Maybe he hates the domesticated lifestyle. Ever consider that?"

"Mom, he cooks, he cleans, and he loves kids. He's from a good family, quirky, but loving.

They're all gone now and he's all alone, ready to step into the next chapter of his life ... our lives. One day he'll make a great father."

"Really? You've thought about this?"

_Yes, she had, they had. How many kids they'd have, talking about baby names month after month -- Phil took a shine to "Evelyn" -- the type of school they'd want their kids attending, Daddy telling them bedtime stories after making everyone dinnner, her being a protective mommy and wifey, and the two of them enjoying helping and watching their cherubs grow up loved and strong. While Keely knew he'd be a great daddy, in the back of her brain, Keely suspected that Phil would never be a father unless she'd let him be one for their children. __He'll make a great father__, sadly evolved into __h__e _wouldhave made_ a great father__._

"... and you feel such a man being interested in you places such intense pressure on you, enough to want to break up? One last question: Does he have a brother?"

"Mom, be serious. What should I do?"

"Buttercup, I AM SERIOUS. He doesn't sound so bad, really, does he? Mothers get cramps over daydreaming about the disasters their daughters are going to bring home declaring this is 'the one.' You've heard my list -- except 'gangs'" -- he not in a gang, is he, Pumpkin Seed? Does he have tattoos?" _Keely shakes her head._ "Well, while I rarely imagined you bringing home a suitor my age, let alone one you've agreed again and again and again to marry, I want what every parent wants: for my child to be happy, loved, and provided for. I'm not his mother; I'm yours and it's your happiness that's my concern, not his. That said, he doesn't sound like a bad 'hubby,' my love."

"No, not bad, not bad at all. Pretty perfect, in fact. But people will look and point, I'll feel so uncomfortable. We'd look wrong together."

"That's it? You won't be in the norm, not fitting in some sort of mold? What do people say to you to make you feel uncomfortable?"

"No one actually says anything ... but they're going to look at us like we don't make sense."

"This happens a lot?"

"Well, no, but I feel uncomfortable. I don't actually see people staring -- I don't want to make eye contact with other people when we're around. They're staring, I just know it."

"What's he doing to make you feel so uneasy?"

"Nothing. He's perfect. Other people will notice though. I look at us together in the bathroom mirror and I'm fine, we kiss and I'm fine, but when I think of being in public and everyone staring because we're not ordinary ..."

"Tell me, will they see two people who talk to each other?"

"Sure."

"Nicely."

"Of course, Mom."

"Here's the big one: happy? Will they see a happy couple, Keely?"

"Very happy. THE HAPPIEST."

"Then you're absolutely right, Popcorn; people will look and point."

"Mom, you don't get it -- huh??"

"Nice couple getting along, actually talking, probably very much in love. That's hardly ordinary. Half of the marriages out there end in divorce and most of the others might just as well." You'll be harassed in the ladies room by passersby -- just trying to get you to spill your secret to a successful marriage, and others who are just jealous because their relationships are in the dumpster.

"Yeah, right."

"Just wait. You'll discover that your mother knows what she's talking about. What do you think they're talking about while they're looking at you both?"

"I don't know."

"I do. And you're right about some of the men. They'll notice the difference in your ages, but those men are CATS and they'll never look beyond the dates on your birth certificates. There are some women like that, too. Lonely women, most of them in lonely marriages, who've been hurt by CATS. But the rest who look your way will zero in your eyes and mouths, your body language and the tones of your voices, and that you're touching one another, holding hands. That's how couples are judge by others -- are they happy? Deciding 'you both so look special!', not 'you_ two look wrong.'"_

"Mom. He's your age."

"Like the Winstons down the street. They seem happy, don't they? Or Cicely's Holling and Shelley on Northern Exposure -- no, those two are 50 years apart, how about that tv husband and wife on This Old House? They're thirty years apart. Keely, Keely, Keely, I've sold houses to lots of couples; couples in their first marriage and their fifth, different ages, different arrangements, ... you name it. This is my business -- not selling houses, but reading people. I couldn't close a single escrow without being able to know what people really needed and wanted, despite what they thought they did. You're my business, too, Kiddo. Keely, I think I know what your problem is now. Kitten, CONGRATULATIONS, because you're not in love with a guy; Bon Bon, not at all; you are in love with a man."

"Nobody else in our family is married with such an age difference. Everyone will gossip."

"No doubt, but only because you'll be the first, but you wont be alone. No, certainly not. Your husband will be right beside you, his hand in yours. Together, you'll be pioneers on our side of the family. Pioneers don't make a new life for one another because it's the easier life to lead; they do so because they've fallen in love with a new land and wouldn't want to live happily ever after anywhere else. As for 'family gossip,' Keely, you're going to get that no matter who you agree to marry."

"Mom. I'm not ready to settle down. Not even with him, not now -- and, Mom, I don't want him to have to change just to make me happy. Maybe we could just be friends."

"I heard you the first time, Keely, and it sounds like he understands this, too, or he would be making ultimatums about your choosing, instead of offering you all the time in the world to decide when you think you're ready. You want 'freedom,' and he's offering you all the freedom you want without strings. Again, definitely not a 'guy-thing' to do. He's mature, and must perceive an old soul in you, rich in maturity. But 'friends?' I don't think so. He'll be friendly toward you because he loves and cares about you, but it would hurt him too much to go back to only being your friend. From what you've shared, this isn't at all about doing him any favors by backing out of your relationship. You're not his whole life, Keely; his reason to live it, yes. You don't think you're making a contribution to this relationship? My God, Darling, don't you see you've breathed life into him, making him feel unique and important? That's what every real man is attracted to, not what a woman looks like, or how young she is, but how she makes him feel. Love isn't about math and balance sheets, it's about feelings. I'd say you're doing a lot for him each day -- no wonder he's been spending his days blissfully dreaming of sharing his tomorrows with you."

_That special feeling, Keely knew it well, because when Phil told her who he really was, that's when she felt extra special, too. Just a feeling? That feeling made all the difference in every day of her life since, in both their lives. Now, he was asking her to make it an addition to that feeling and make it their life together ... and that scared her like nothing else ever came close to doing._

"You also said he's willing to not only wait, but to do whatever makes you happy. A man who willing molds himself in order to bring about your happiness? Believe it or not, Daughter, you've not only described the perfect man, and not only do you know who he is and where he lives, you happen, just happen, mind you, to also be the young woman he's madly in love with. Take it from me, you won't stay young forever, either -- I haven't anymore than he has -- so it's just a matter, Keely, of how long you're willing to allow yourself to be happy -- from your description, he's going to be around for another half-century and he's dedicating his next fifty years to making the two of you so very happy together each and every day."

"You're worried about him not being able to see the world as you do because he's older. Perspective is everything; however, everyone sees life from a different seat. No matter how close to your birthday someone else's lands, it's nothing to do on whether they experience life the way you do. Even you and Tia, practically sisters with one personality and outlook, eventually saw people and the world very differently, but you didn't stop being close, did you? You shared, disagreed even, but that didn't make your friendship less interesting; quite the opposite, really. It gave you a lot to talk about besides boys and clothes."

"You want compatibility? You've already found it! You want a mirror image to experience life the way you do? Then you'll have to tote around a looking glass. You will discover the hard way that two people sharing life the same way doesn't make it taste better; it diminishes the fun. What's that expression? 'Variety is the spice of life.' The fun of being a couple, Keely, isn't simply about doing things together, it's also about sharing how you see life differently, solving problems together, celebrating life when you can, and standing as one when you can't -- each offering their own strengths for their partner to lean on. It's about taking the best and the worst of each other and then making one another happier each day because together THE TWO OF YOU ARE THE BEST THING IN YOUR LIFE, not what 'life' offers you."

"Every time I've attacked him while we've talked, you've defended him. I've thought him an old leech taking advantage of your youth, you've solidly convinced me instead of his elemental love for you. I've accused him of being impatient; you tell me he's not that way. You say you don't want to change him; I say you won't have to. There's a word for a man like yours: GENUINE. Do you know how many genuine people there are on Earth? Just ten, and most of them are women. A man who truly cares about you, places your needs and desires above his own, Keely, he won't ever change a thing about himself for you; this is just the way he genuinely is. Unless you're making him up -- I thought not." Keely could almost see her mother's happy grin through the phone call.

"Look, I've been writing down everything we've been talking about, keeping a tally of positives and negatives. Honey, I've had to go on for pages and pages on the pluses' side, and what they sum up is that he is the man you're proud and happy to be with when you climb into bed at the end of your day to have snuggle up next to you. The minuses' category looks so empty that those few items could take care of themselves simply by dying of loneliness:

**1. You don't want to change him.  
He's genuinely happy making you happy, Cherry Cheeks. How could you miss this? You aren't changing him, not one teeny-weenie bit. He's already this way because he derives happiness from making you happier. Just how do you think he felt before you walked into his life? You said he's been looking for the perfect woman, but he's been alone. It's all he's ever known, yet somehow he he's turned out to be this perfect genuine soul. For him, waiting isn't an issue, whether it be marriage _(typical)_ or sex _(that's a new one)_. He's unconcerned about settling down immediately, doing any single thing or living any place in particular; he only wants to share a life together with you and he'll accept it on your terms -- ****he's not compromising on being happy in life by doing what you want to do -- sharing your happiness is what makes him happy.**

**This shouldn't be a negative, Sweetie!**

**2. He's at a different stage in life than you are and he won't want to do, get or be able to see experiences as you do.  
From the way you've described him, he's not a man of the world, nor someone on a respirator picking out a grave site to crawl into this weekend. If anything, he seems retarded -- no, not mentally, just in a much younger state than he appears. He's my age? Well, I'm not planning on departing anytime soon either. Get over it. This is _'stage-of-life'_**** malarkey doesn't fly. He's at the stage in life when he's fallen in love and is smart enough to know that there isn't anything more important in life than the happiness of another. That's not only what makes a good husband, but a good future father, too. Being a couple is about sharing experiences, even compatibility -- not about your experiences being identical -- and you already told me that you two have much in common. ****It's a plus that he has a different perspective and another plus that he's smart enough to know what's important.**

**3. He's smothering you at the moment with affection.**  
I'm sorry, but once you learn how to talk to your man, it won't even be an issue. (After you're married a couple of years, it won't be an issue, either.) He's not broken, just needs a little tweaking as all men do. Explain cloy to him and just use it as a code word if he ever gets out of line again. **Problem solved** -- and even if it isn't, I hate to be the one to disillusion you, Honey, but no man can keep that up all the time. That level of affection can't last no matter what, though with some luck, it sounds as though you'll still find yourself on the receiving end of more daily affection than most wives, and not just a night out for dinner on your anniversary. you say you don't feel the same way you once did for him, you still love him, but differently; his turn is coming when he'll love you in new ways, too -- you just transitioned first. You're still in love with your best friend, and he with you. **Problem solves itself." **

"That -- that actually made sense, Mom!"

"Good, but I'm not done, yet.

**4. Freedom.**  
You're not ready to settle down, yet, my love; you're 18 and you want to do things before you're ready to pick a path to stay on. I understand this and he does, too. He wants you to have the freedom to grow and florish, to allow him to be there for you when you want to share life's experiences with him. You're lucky, Keely, because he won't settle for making you love him. For him, it has to be your choice, and not just once; simply fastening a ring around your finger isn't enough for this kind of man. He wants you to choose him; not caring on what path you choose, because the path isn't at all important for him, only your happiness and the opportunity to share whatever you will offer him. **Do you really see this as a problem?**

**5. Age difference.**  
Not the same thing as "different stages of life." Obviously you knew about the age difference each time he asked you to marry him, not once as any ordinary man would propose, but hundreds of times (he sounds so special), and each time you agreed. Hundreds of times and it wasn't an issue? You're overly concerned about what you think other people, strangers, will be thinking. Love and happiness are too rare and too important for such a worry. The people you two know will accept you as the happiest, sweetest, strongest and luckiest couple they've ever met, and the others, well, they just don't give a shit about anyone but themselves anyway. Too busy, they are on their own quests for happiness that merely approaches the prize that is already yours if you'll just get over what these strangers you'll never meet might be wondering. You've read my pin: I SELL HOMES. You want a peek into their heads to know what they'll be thinking? I know what people will thinking and feeling: they'll be jealous of you both, wanting even a piece of your compatibility, friendship, cooperation and love. Love, Keely, don't forget about love."

"But, Mom, sometimes it feels wrong because I'm so much younger."

"What about the other times?"

"The rest of the times we're US, perfect for one another."

"The hardest part about marriage, I think, Keely, is just finding your soulmate. You seem to have accomplished this already. Maybe it came to easily for you. Only you can decide if you love him and want to someday marry him. Let me ask you the hardest question I've been able to come up with:

'If things were reversed, he being 18 plus and you approaching 50, would he still marry YOU, and WHY? He could have anyone.'"

_Be__cause she knew her answer beyond the shadow of a doubt, suddenly is became harder to breathe and Keely wanted to cry softly. He was her Phil. For her, he promised to wait one hundred fifteen years and sealed his promise with a kiss. For her, he waited thirty years, not living another life, marrying and raising children of his own. Instead, he sat and waited, in self-imposed hibernation, because even if he couldn't stop time from changing his outward appearance, he could stop himself from aging inside -- his optimism, positive outlook, his values, hopes and dreams, even his corny jokes -- all flash frozen at 17, all betting on the slim chance of being reunited one day with her and wanting to be the Phil she could recognize, her Phil, and not an instamorphed image adorning an old man's thinking. He didn't know how many years it was going to take before they could be together forever at last, so he picked interests that didn't require interaction with other people: no more laser squash or zero gravity relay races, no mixer parties or social functions, no more playing in a band, even poker was out -- he was already taking the biggest gamble of his life, maybe of all time. What would such a man do if she was the one who had done what he did for her and now asking him to make her happy, them both happy by sharing their lives together at last? _**_"YES."_** _He'd make certain he made her happy for the rest of their lives; whether she was 17, 18, 49, or 150. No matter her age, she was Keely, and he loved her and wouldn't ever be happy being with anyone else. All that mattered was their being together. No wonder she had felt something pressing against her; it was Phil's heart._

_D__a__mn, I can't tell her mother all that -- Hell, any of that. There's always the truth, I can always tell her the truth:_

**_"Yes. Yes, he loves me so much nothing else would matter. He wouldn't see past any fears of our being different, but only because they wouldn't even register on his radar. Neither would he give a crap about what other people were thinking. For Ph-- him, it would only be about us. When he looks at me, he still sees "me," not just deep inside; for him, the real me is always plain to see right in front of him. __What does he get out of our relationship? Everything, Mom, he tells me: confidence, courage, hope, a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to share all he has with me. He's been waiting forever for me, to be able to live, really live, life, instead of standing on the sidelines where he's been all these years, and where he'll stay unless I'll go through with my promise. He's ready and rarin' to go, but willing to keep waiting until I decide I'm ready. My smiles, the silly boy tells me that they're all different, all special -- did I call him a boy? My hubby is fixated on my happiness -- when I'm happy, he's happy, and when I'm not, he tries to cheer me up, support me, and deal with whatever is causing me pain. Is that love?"_**

"That must be a good college, because it sounds like you're getting smarter in your old age, young lady. Lots of men will promise the moon, but damn few commit to making your dreams come true their own. So, no brother? He's one of a kind, then, your man. No threats, no ultimatums, just a loving, caring, genuine, gentle -- very patient -- man whom you obviously love and trust. Not another like him or likely to ever be ... so what did you need help making a decision over, College Woman? Not how to find such a catch, not to win such a prize; do you want to know if you're making a decision that you're going to regret? Baby, I know you will, you'll regret your decision forever ... if you give him up without trying. You have a good man who listens and follows through -- Don't get hung up on the small stuff. It's the age of the date on the wedding license that matters, not the birth certificate. Your man knows this already. Risk vs. Regret? No contest in his mind. He's been willing to risk everything to one day be with you ever after."

"Most marriages fail long before anyone dies, sometimes even before the ink dries. They fail when husbands are lost to work, lost to another woman, or they simply come home without speaking and then go hide in their man cave or a bottle, or don't even come home at all. Is that the kind of normal life you're weighing him against -- what you want for yourself? I want you to be the happiest you can be in this life, Sugar Beets, and couldn't be happier that you've found someone who's going to make it his job to make certain this happens. You have a good man who loves you and and will love you always. Anyway, he sounds like a good man --"

"A very good man. He's the perfect man, Mommy, but I don't love him the way I once did and I don't know if I ever will again."

"And you never will, Cinnamon Drop. Happiness isn't about feeling the same way every day, it's about living without regret for your decisions. Will you regret turning away from the man you love? Keely, did you really think that good men grow on trees? Finding just one that is good is like finding a needle in a haystack! So much so, you don't trow away the _perfect_ man. Where you see 'old', daughter, everyone else -- including me -- sees a man, and with you, a couple -- very happy and very much in love. 'Old' is a state of mind, just like 'young.' You've described him as a man who's actually not after you for your body, but your happiness. That's incredible in itself, for him to be driven by his desire to dedicate his life to making you happier today than you were the day before. He seems to have accepted that you're young -- that likely wasn't easy for him to come to terms with either. Have you ever given him credit for that? Or for continuing to try despite the signals of fear and doubt in the air? Sometimes all a couple has in this world is the hope, trust, and belief they share in each other. Love can overcome anything, Sweetheart, and this is such a little thing. The big picture in life is about love and happiness. I know it. I dare say he knows it, and I thought you knew it, too."

"Haven't you ever wondered why I haven't remarried, Keely? It isn't because I like going through life alone with just a house full of cats now that you're at college. I'd love to have the perfect man in my life, especially one who also considered me the perfect woman, and his birthdate? It would be, but trivia to me. I have too many girlfriends who would by happy if their husbands were in the ICU so they could gleefully pull the plug and have the bastards out of their lives forever. And what would they do then? They'd be out searching for another, probably marrying the same S.O.B. under a different name."

"I'm the woman sitting across from you in the restaurant watching you both, and, Keely, I'm longing for what you have, what you're taking for granted only because it came so easily, and if I could tell you one thing which you'd act upon, I'd tell you not to miss out on such a love, because this love is worth any inconvenience. Embrace it and you'll be rewarded with a lifetime of waking up up without regrets. Eighteen years old -- at seventeen, I would have chased him off the porch with a baseball bat -- one year makes all the difference; when I look at you now, you're not a little girl anymore; you're a woman. I think he sees that, too, and that's what everyone will see: an adult woman and her man, very much in love, deliriously happy to be with one another. You're an adult now, and it's your decision. You have a 'sweet, loving, generous, attentive, devoted, good, perfect man with no baggage' -- oh, and he has some gray in his hair -- asking you to marry him whenever you're ready. And your big decision isn't about saying yes, because for months you've already made it clear that you want to marry him, but that you feel the two of you don't totally feel right. Clearly, he loves you, needs you and desires you; and now you're having second thoughts about how much you value those qualities and how much you feel for him in return. Getting married is the biggest decision you're going to make and you want him to be perfect, like a new car without a scratch on the paint job. That about sum it up, Sugar Bear? You're perfect in his eyes, you can make no mistakes, and can never ask too much of him ... I can see how that would place pressure on you and maybe breaking up is your way of regaining control, in place of what that you actually want to do."

_Mom was right. Phil was right. Maybe they got it and I didn't. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give him -- US -- another chance, to be sure about where we really stand. We just need to get our balance back again, and that isn't going to happen without both of us trying. So I agreed to go out with Phil again, and surprise, surprise, I wasn't so uncomfortable after all -- infinitely less than the time each of us caught the other dancing in the hallways in anticipation of going together to the Ladies' Choice Dance._

_Yes, I looked up and around this time and there were some glances our way then as now, but Mom was right, those people are inconsequential compared to our happiness, and others were too busy getting on with their own evenings anyway. And Phil? He never even noticed anyone but me all night. When the two of us were done eating, it was déjà vu all over again:_

"Look, I'm sorry about how all this turned out."

"I don't know if I can do this, Phil. It's really hard to have friendship with someone who could disappear in a second."

"I'm here right now."

"Yeah, but you could be gone tomorrow."

"I've learned a couple of things from time traveling, including timing -- how it's literally everything, so you better make the most of what's happening right now."_ (Isn't that just what Mom was trying to tell me?)_

"I don't know if I can do that."

"I can't blame you."

"But I'll try."

_He stood up and offering his hand, asked me,_ "You want to dance?"

_So, Diary, we danced, creating our own timing. True to his word as always, he let me have all the time I needed -- __which wasn't nearly as much as I had imagined I would__ -- and now each morning I wake up smiling. You see, we both believe in happily ever after, so we both make it work. And I haven't regretted getting both my old Phils back, my old one and my Old one. Not once. And a better secret than that doesn't exist! Besides, thirty years? Einstein was pretty sharp to notice it's the observer who gets to decide how relative time actually is. All I know is that when the lights go out, everything feels the same and right and I go to sleep smiling knowing that he'll make certain I'll wake with a smile come morning._

_She's got a way,  
yes, she does,_

_all I can say,  
is I can use_

_a little sunshine,  
around here._

_She smiles,_

_like she's got herself a secret ..._

_._

47 or 17?

It didn't matter.

Mom was right, you can love an old one just as easily as young one.  
You have to do what do what is going to make you live life happily ...

... or in my case,

happily-ever-after,

**_Oh, and it turns out that Phil and I aren't ordinary, Diary -- We're_**

**_ EXTRAORDINARY!!_**

**_Yes, there is something special about riding down life's highway in a classic_**

;) ‹3


End file.
